[jhspaybar]

Great article. I have made some iPhone apps and websites that have been moderately successful and it seems to pull all the "I have an idea" people out of the woodwork. Maybe it's a result of still being younger and around college, or just a bit older than college age people, but I can't even count how many times an acquaintance has been generous enough to "offer me half" of something of which they have no concept of the implementation of and expect me to jump when they bring nothing to the table.

Sorry to say it, but to all the 25 year old business majors out there...unless you have a big wad of cash or proven skills in another field you really don't bring much to the table of a startup.

The only idea I ever jumped on was by a talented artist who could create all sound and art assets for the game, and I accepted just as much to create a relationship with the person in case I needed them in the future as I did for their idea. In fact, the final game wasn't the idea they "pitched" me. We changed it completely, but because they brought a talent it worked out great!

[wpietri]

I probably shouldn't mention it so publicly, but once you've built a profitable product, you are allowed to stab one of these "offer you half" business majors per year. You will shortly receive a handy wallet-sized card with the number to call for body disposal.

Remember: use your quota wisely. There are a lot of idiots out there.